Jose Peralta's posts related to Families

Kathy Hochul is not backing down from her position that immigrants who are here illegally should be prevented from obtaining driver's licenses. She opposed the plan in 2007, citing national security concerns, and reiterated the point in an interview on Inside City Hall Thursday.

"I'm not sure what's changed in that dynamic," Hochul said.

That's a tall order for some Latino officials, who were told Hochul's views would evolve much like they have on gun control. Once a strong Second Amendment supporter, Hochul now says she favors tougher gun laws.

“We’ve seen Washington fail so this is why New York State has to step up to the plate and this is why we’re going to continue to make sure that the New York State DREAM Act becomes a reality.” --State Senator Jose Peralta

“Published reports and a City Council hearing today are shining a long overdue light on NYCHA’s broken system for providing emergency shelter to victims of domestic violence.

“It is a travesty to require women to risk their lives to produce the paperwork needed to qualify for emergency housing—and then not provide that housing.

“The expansion of the list of crimes that would not require a second documented instance of abuse is a welcome change, but more needs to be done to protect those who are unable to go to the police in the first place.”

“I have introduced a bill that would enable domestic violence victims to be considered for emergency NYCHA housing without having to first contact authorities and put themselves in danger of retribution from their batterers.

“What my bill can’t do is make NYCHA cut wait times of as long as 10 years. That is something NYCHA needs to address.

“The many advocates for domestic violence victims who support my bill do so because the lack of safe, affordable, permanent housing is one of the biggest impediments victims face in their effort to escape an abusive environment. NYCHA has taken a small first step toward cutting red tape for victims, but much, much more needs to be done to fix the system.”

Walk along Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights and Corona, and everywhere you go you’ll see small businesses, the vast majority of which are mom-and-pop operations.

These businesses, including the street vending carts and stands, sustain families and breathe life into the community.

From early in the morning until well into the evening, you’ll come across rows of street vendors offering up a smorgasbord of tasty dishes from throughout Latin America, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, books, homemade trinkets and on and on. All this amidst a sea of commuters and shoppers flowing in out of the subway stations and many retail stores along the avenue.

“These new protections build upon our work to combat human trafficking in New York by providing more tools to help victims escape their circumstances and to get a fresh start,” Cuomo said.

The new law requires that all case records concerning 16- or 17-year-old victims be sealed so that future employers cannot find out about their history. The records can only be unsealed if they are needed in a case against the victim’s trafficker.

Roosevelt Avenue in Queens has been the borough’s epicenter of human trafficking over the years, as many young, foreign-born women migrating to the borough have fallen prey to traffickers, advocates say.

“Putting an end to human trafficking is the moral issue of our time,” he said. “Women are shipped here from around the world and the country. They’re brought right here to my district and enslaved. The standard response is that it’s a victimless crime, which it is not.”

"The good news is that millions of upstanding, hardworking undocumented immigrants will now be able to continue contributing to our economy without having to live and work in fear of deportation.

"The bad news is that millions of other upstanding, hardworking undocumented immigrants will remain in the shadows of our economy and society.

"President Obama is to be applauded for taking a strong first step toward long-overdue reform of our broken immigration system. Like the president, we in New York should not wait on Congress to make additional necessary repairs.

"The DREAM Act is sensible, compassionate public policy. It is the law in Texas, a red state, California, a blue state, and New Mexico, a purple state. Here, the New York DREAM Act is supported by editorial boards throughout the state, including those at newspapers as different as the New York Post, The New York Times and the Daily News.

"Let’s follow the bipartisan example of the five states that have already passed a DREAM Act. Let's collaborate in New York on making an investment in our young people, our economy and our state’s future that will pay for itself several times over."

New York City’s Asian population will have more resources and help at their disposal, thanks to the hard work of the New York Women’s Asian Center (NYAWC) and a grant from the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA).

The funds from the grant will provide a wide-range of services to help survivors of domestic violence, as well as their children, in a new Queens location.

The services offered, thanks to the grant, include a 24/7 hotline, counseling and case management services, advocacy, financial education to survivors, healthy relationship workshops to teens and services to teens in abusive relationships.

The first phase of renovations of the outdoor amenities at LeFrak City, in Corona, is complete just in time for spring.

Elected officials and community leaders joined Jamie LeFrak, the president of the 20-building complex, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the newly revamped West Courtyard April 7.

“Exciting changes are underway at LeFrak City, and this is just the tip of the iceberg,” LeFrak said. Within two years the ongoing multimillion-dollar capital improvement program will bring renovations to lobbies, mail rooms, facades, laundry rooms, elevators and garages, but for now the nearly 40,000-square-foot space is considered to be a milestone.